Flavour system

ABSTRACT

A system to deliver to a user artificial flavor sensations equivalent to a selected desired real flavor having a database in which is stored data of a number of real flavors broken down into components selected from taste, smell, feel and appearance, A head mounted display device is provided to deliver visual and audio cues of a flavor from the database and a bite sensation component is mounted in the mouth of a wearer of the head mounted display controlling the delivery of taste, feel, and smell components of the flavor to the user.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to the generation of flavor sensations.

BACKGROUND

Modern Virtual Reality technology has the ability, through immersivecomputer simulation, to deliver novel insights within a range ofapplications in a safe, controlled, and repeatable manner. In addition,the emerging field of flavor perception uses multisensory stimuli(visuals, audio, smell, feel, taste) as well as cognitive stimuli,especially descriptors e.g. “this is a rich and delicious flavor” andattention, e.g. “notice the subtle mint smell”, to manipulate a person'sperception of the flavor of a food or beverage

Molecules of food are chemicals detected by taste receptors in themouth, and the olfactory receptors in the nose. There are five primarytastes: salty, sour, bitter, sweet and umami (from the Japanese for“tasty”—which corresponds roughly to the taste of glutamate) [PS16]. Howwe perceive food is also influenced by its mouthfeel (eg. astringency,oiliness, capsaicin) texture, smell (both orthonasal (“sniffed in”) andretronasal (“from the food in the mouth”)), temperature, looks, cost,and environmental factors, such as where we are eating and with whom,etc. It has been shown previously that it is possible to simulate thesensation of some of the primary tastes by direct electrical and thermalstimulation of the tongue. Electrical stimulation has also been used toattempt the simulation of smell, with limited success so far. Inaddition, it is known that cross-sensory perception can influenceenjoyment of food by superimposing virtual color onto a real drink, andit is also known that the perceived taste of a cookie can be changedusing visual and auditory stimuli. How multisensory stimuli, inparticular visuals, audio, smell and motion, may affect a realexperience (singularly or in combination) has been studied extensively,including their impact on flavor perception, indeed, understanding theeffect of the precision of multisensory stimuli simulation on virtualexperiences. In addition, neuroscience work has shown that word leveldescriptors of taste, smell and flavor (e.g. “this food is rich inomega-3 fatty acids which have health benefits”) have a top-downinfluence on the actual representations of the flavors in the secondarytaste and olfactory cortices, which are in the orbitofrontal cortex. Incontrast, top-down attention to the pleasantness of taste, smell, andflavor increases the response of the brain systems that represent theirpleasantness (the orbitofrontal and anterior cingulate cortices). Thisimplies that different brain systems are selectively upregulated whenthe instructions are to pay attention to intensity (including thequality of the stimulus, such as how sweet it is, or how sour) vspleasantness or reward value. This neuroscience research suggests thatour perception of flavor can indeed be manipulated with both sensory andcognitive stimuli. This invention goes further to create and delivervirtual flavors that are experience equivalent to real flavors.

SUMMARY OF INVENTION

According to the invention a system to deliver to a user artificialflavor sensations equivalent to a selected desired real flavor has

-   -   a. a database in which is stored data of a number of real        flavors broken down into components selected from taste, smell,        feel and appearance;    -   b. an audio and visual delivery system to deliver visual and        audio cues of a flavor from the database;    -   c. a nose device for delivering smell to the nose;    -   d. a bite sensation component to be mounted in the mouth of a        wearer of the flavor delivery system controlling the delivery of        taste and smell components of the flavor to the user.

The audio and visual delivery system may be a head mounted displaydevice.

The noise device may be a cannula.

The system delivers to a user artificial flavor, including taste, smell,mouthfeel, temperature, and texture (biting) sensations equivalent to aselected desired real flavor.

Normally, the taste component comprises sweetness, sourness, saltiness,bitterness, umami.

Normally, the mouthfeel component comprises astringency, oiliness,capsaicin.

Containers can be provided containing taste components of a flavor, thetaste components from the containers being delivered either to acontainer, such as a cup, or to the mouth of a wearer of the flavordelivery system.

In addition, further containers containing mouthfeel components of aflavor can be provided, the mouthfeel components being delivered eitherto a container, such as a cup, or to the mouth of the user of the flavordelivery system.

In addition, further containers containing smell components of a flavorcab be provided, the smell components being delivered either to acontainer, such as a cup, or to the mouth and nose of the user of theflavor delivery system.

The invention combines virtual reality with flavor perception to delivervirtual flavor. In particular, the system will deliver virtual flavorsthat are “experience equivalent” to benchmark real flavors, in“experience equivalent” is meant one which achieves the very samecognitive response whether subjects are exposed to real or synthesizedflavor stimuli.

The system of the invention can be used as a diagnostic tool.

INTRODUCTION TO THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 illustrates the creation of a flavor database for use in thepresent invention;

FIG. 2 illustrates a modified head mounted device used in the presentinvention;

FIG. 3 illustrates a bite sensation component for use with the presentinvention; and

FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram showing the combination of flavorsensations to a delivery vessel.

ILLUSTRATIVE EXAMPLES

FIG. 1 illustrates the creation of a flavors database 20 for use in theinvention. The database 20 can deliver visual, audio, smell (bothothornasal and retronasal), feel, and taste cues together with cognitivecues (visual and/or audio) through a head mounted device 30 of theinvention (see description of FIG. 2 below). The virtual flavor systemof the invention can predict, if the flavor components of a real sampleare known, what the make-up of virtual sample components should be toachieve experience equivalence between the real and virtual sample. Abenefit of this is that, if a personal choice of virtual flavor isspecified, it should be possible to provide a blend of real product thatmatches this preference. The flavor components considered aremultisensory stimuli (visual, audio, smell, feel, taste), cognitivestimuli (descriptors, attention), and the environment.

FIG. 1 shows how a flavor database for a target product is created. Thisis done by:

-   -   a. Firstly, creating samples 11 of the target product 10 (in        this example a tea was used) including any blends; or by        analyzing a new food or drink product 12;    -   b. Secondly 13, analyzing these samples to extract their flavor        components; these are fed to the database 20 and to generate        virtual samples 14, comprising:        -   i. visual information—the color profile;        -   ii. audio information—any related sounds such as crunch            (these are recorded from a microphone in the mouth);        -   iii. smell—using Gas Chromatography Mass Spectrometry            analysis;        -   iv. taste—by means of an Insent™ TS-5000Z (made by            Intelligent Sensing Technology, Inc of Japan) which can            provide taste quality and intensity information; the same as            would be perceived by a human;        -   v. feel (namely mouthfeel, temperature, and “hardness”)—by            means of an Insent™ TS-5000Z (made by Intelligent Sensing            Technology, Inc of Japan) which can provide mouthfeel            quality and intensity information; the same as would be            perceived by a human, the normal temperature at which the            product is consumed, and how firm it is (this latter would            not be required for a liquid).    -   c. Thirdly, associating cognitive cues with each sample. These        comes from focus groups 15, and prior knowledge such as “flavor        wheels”, etc.        -   i. Descriptors—e.g. this food is healthy for you;        -   ii. Attention—e.g. pay attention to the hint of vanilla.    -   d. Precision setting: Once the flavor database has been        established, the Just Noticeable Difference (JND) thresholds 16        between flavor components of real 11, 12, and virtual samples 14        need to be determined. This is currently achieved via a user        study using a two-interval forced choice (2IFC) method. In        addition, questionnaire techniques evaluate in detail the        perceived realism, technical performance and user acceptance of        a virtual flavor and a suite of standard sensory organ tests are        used from existing well validated tests for sight, hearing, and        sense of taste and smell. Two Quality Prediction Models (QPM1        and QPM2) 17 are established from all the experimental data to        specify the minimum precision of the virtual multisensory and        cognitive stimuli that are required in order that a virtual        sample is perceived as being equivalent to a real sample. These        QPMs consider five senses as well as the cognitive stimuli. QPM1        takes as input the real sample flavor components from the        database 20 independent of the given scenario, while QPM2 has        the additional dimension of including how the environment may        affect this precision, and thus the Quality Prediction Models        thus take into account both the components and the scenarios.        Finally, the accuracy of the QPMs is validated against        previously unused real samples and an untested scenario (QPM2).

The outcome of the Quality Prediction Models is then compared with auser's preferred virtual flavor 18 derived as discussed in relation toFIGS. 2 and 3. If there is a match that generates parameters of apreferred item 19 (a tea blend in the illustrated example) to bemarketed or used.

FIG. 2 shows the modified head mounted device 20 used in connection withthe virtual flavor system of the present invention. In the trial systemdeveloped by the applicant, the head mounted device is a modified headmounted display device 30, but a special purpose device could be usedinstead. Visual and audio cues are delivered from the database 20through the head mounted device's existing visual and audio inputs 31.

In addition to the visual and audio flavor components, cognitive stimuliare also delivered through these interfaces.

Taste, mouthfeel, and smell are provided from tanks 32 and deliveredthrough tubes 35 to the tongue through a reservoir 37 (see FIG. 3 )associated with bite sensation component 36. The basic taste is providedfrom six tanks 32 containing liquids to provide the basic tastes, namelythe sweet, sour, salty, bitter (×2) and umami stimuli, and threeadditional tanks to provide astringency, oiliness, and a “chillisensation” (capsaicin). Two different solutions are provided for thebitter taste, as the human tongue is particularly sensitive tobitterness. This is “evolutionary” and is related to the fact thatbitter substances often could be poisonous.

Table 1 shows example chemical solutions used in this example to delivereach of the taste and mouthfeel stimuli.

TABLE 1 Taste Virtual solution Sweet Sucrose Sour Tartaric Acid SaltyPotassium Chloride Bitter (x2) Quinine Hydrochloride Iso-alpha acidUmami Monosodium glutamate Astringency Tannic Acid Oiliness Rape seedoil Capsaicin Chilli Solution

Smell has a major effect on how humans experience flavor. Humans' smellbrain is an integral part of mood, feeling and long-term memory centersand most smells are coded based on a hedonic response. A smell can becomplex, for example the smell of coffee can contain 10,000 differentsmell molecules. However, the human nose, unless it is specificallytrained, is unable to identify more than a few of the most dominantsmell molecules in a complex smell, which simplifies the task underlyingthis invention. This reduction in smell sensation is especially true ifthe person is experiencing other sensory stimuli (e.g. visual, audio,taste, feel) at the same time and is thus not focusing only on the smellcomponent.

It is possible to achieve equivalent smells with a subset of the realsmells and other cues. The flavor delivery system contains smellcapsules with the tubes 32 and further smell capsules in delivery tubes,to deliver smell to the nose 34 through a cannula 33. The number ofcapsules used is related to how many key smells are associated withtarget product and its blends. To deliver smell, taste and mouthfeel, asmall amount of the appropriate percentage of each taste and mouthfeelcomponents (known from the flavor database) is pumped into the reservoir37 (FIG. 3 ), here it is mixed with the appropriate smell components(also known from the flavor database) and heated/cooled to theappropriate temperature. The mixture is then squirted softly throughatomizers (41 in FIG. 3 ) into a container, such as a cup, or into theuser's mouth across the top of his/her tongue. The direction andintensity of this squirt into the mouth is based on the position of thetaste buds and saliva glands that should be stimulated (known from theflavor database). At the same time, if a cup is not being used,additional smell molecules are released in front of the user's nose 34from a tube 33. It is necessary to include both smell delivery systemsto ensure both orthonasal (“sniffed in”) and retronasal (“from the foodin the mouth”) smells. If a cup is used, the user will acquire theorthonasal smell as the virtual flavor is consumed.

Bite sensation is used to simulate the firmness of the target food. Thebite sensation component 36 is illustrated in greater detail in FIG. 3 .The bite sensation component comprises a lower jaw 38, and an upper jaw39, in which the atomizers 41 are mounted and which are coupled to thereservoir by tubes (not shown). The lower and upper jaws are pivotallymounted with respect to one another by a pair of force adjustable hinges40, which are biased to the open position shown, by spring means. As theuser bites down on the bite sensation component 36, sensations arereleased from the reservoir 37 thought the atomizers 41 into his/hermouth through the atomizers 41. In addition to releasing the taste, theresistance provided by the bite sensation component 36, by virtue of theforce adjustable hinge 40 delivers the bite texture. The harder thefood, the more resistance from adjustable hinge 40. This required levelof resistance for the bite sensation component is set from the flavordatabase.

The reservoir 37, as shown is in the mouth, however, it could be mountedso that it is outside the mouth. The position of the atomizers 41, canalso be varied in different designs, to suit the position of parts ofthe mouth most sensitive to a taste and smell components of a product.

To derive the user's personalized virtual flavors, differentcombinations of taste, appearance, smell, feel, sound can be controlledby the user and directed to him/her through the bite sensationcomponent. Alternatively the personalized virtual flavors can becontrolled by software algorithms, The user's flavor, preferences asdetermined by his/her choice of the various combinations or by means ofthe software thus supplied through the head mounted device 36, arerecorded in the database 20, and form the personalized virtual flavors18 used in FIG. 1 .

As an alternative to the arrangements shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 , the tanksmounted in a stand-alone manner and delivered through tubes to a cup orother vessel. Such a system is shown in FIG. 4 The basic taste isprovided from six tanks 51 containing liquids to provide the basictastes, namely the sweet, sour, salty, bitter (×2) and umami stimuli,and two additional tanks 52 to provide astringency and a “chillisensation” (capsaicin). As before, two different solutions are providedfor the bitter taste. Smell sensations from separate tanks or capsules53 can be added

The tanks and capsules, 51, 52 and 53 are linked though ducts 54 to amixer 55. A computer 56 controls valves in the ducts to admit to themixer a preprogramed amount of each component from the tanks andcapsules 51, 52 and 53. The mixer 55 then supplies the programmedmixture to a heater 57 also controlled by the computer 56, and when atthe correct temperature the mixture is delivered to a delivery vessel58, in the illustrated case a beaker. On sampling the content of thebeaker, a user can indicate their reaction, for example, too sweet, toostrong a smell, insufficient depth of flavor, too hot or cold Thecomputer is reprogrammed to reflect the user's preference and a furthermixture of ingredients delivered to the beaker. This process can berepeated many times until the user is satisfied with the deliveredflavor.

The virtual flavor system of the present invention has uses both forindividuals, the catering industry, healthcare, gaming, and the foodindustry. An example would be product selection in which the userselects the real product for which he/she would like to know the flavor,for example by going on line on clicking on the image of the product, apreviously determined “experience equivalent” virtual sample isdelivered to the user via the virtual flavor system. Another examplewould be flavor personalization in which a user would choose theirpreferred multisensory flavor components of a “base product flavor” bychanging the taste, smell, colour, etc on the system through a userinterface. This choice can be done manually by the user or guided byoptimization software. This preference is then matched through QPM1 orQPM2 to a real product blend from the flavor database. Another exampleis for bending products, say tea, which is being used to illustrate thata personalized choice of virtual flavor can be matched by a blend ofrooibos tea product; the flavor of traditional rooibos tea is not toeveryone's liking, however the flavor can be altered by blending thenatural rooibos with other ingredients, such as rose petals, vanilla,mint, etc. Rooibos tea has been shown to provide a wide range of healthbenefits, as it is a rich source of dietary antioxidants, includingaspalathin, which helps to reduce the output of adrenal gland hormonesin the body, reducing stress, regulating blood sugar and lowering therisk of type-2 diabetes and help prevent obesity. Presently, the UKalone throws away £13 bn of food each year, some of this comprisesproducts bought but not liked: this can be reduced by allowing the useof a virtual flavor system according to the present invention prior topurchase.

Although the foregoing examples describe reusable devices in accordancewith the invention, a completely disposable device which simply has thevirtual flavors in, for example, straws which are tried in apredetermined order, so that the user tastes and/or smells virtualflavors in that order.

One use of the device of the preceding paragraph is to test forpotential infections or other medical conditions. For example, loss ofsmell can be associated a cold or flu, sinusitis, an allergy, and nasalpolyps. These issues can also lead to a sensation where a person smellssomething that is not there, smelling toast and smoke being common,these may cause a reduced sense of smell or a smell of things to come(parosmia).

Loss of both taste and smell is associated with some viral infectionsand other medical conditions, such as Dementia, including Alzheimer'sand Parkinson's disease, and a disposable device of the invention can beused in the diagnosis of a person suspected of having a medicalcondition. This has come into prominence in recent times because one ofthe potential markers of COVID-19, is a loss/alteration of taste andsmell. The ability as provided by this invention to confirm that hashappened, is a useful tool to identify persons who may be so infected,so that they can isolate themselves or be isolated. The loss/alterationof individual tastes and/or smells could be associated with certainmedical conditions.

The store 20 may comprise a compressed store of data generated using thetechniques described in WO2014/125289 (Warwick University—21 Aug. 2014).Such a store can be used to control the sound and visual effects heardand seen though the head mounted display 30 or any other visual orauditory delivery system, and the taste, mouthfeel, bite and smellsensations to be experienced.

The invention claimed is:
 1. A system to deliver, to a nose and a mouthof a user, artificial flavor sensations equivalent to a selected desiredreal flavor, wherein the system comprises: a database configured tostore data comprising a number of real flavors components comprising oneor more of: a taste component, a smell component, a feel component andan appearance component; an audio and visual delivery system configuredto deliver visual and audio cues of a flavor from the database; a nosedevice configured to deliver smell to the nose; a bite sensationcomponent configured to be mounted in the mouth for controlling thedelivery of the taste component and the smell components to the user. 2.The system of claim 1 wherein the system includes containers configuredcontaining respective smell components of a flavor for delivery to themouth and the nose of a user.
 3. The system of claim 1 wherein the audioand visual delivery system comprises a head mounted audio visual system.4. The system of claim 2 further comprising a cannula configured todeliver the smell components the nose of the user.
 5. The system ofclaim 4 additionally comprising containers configured to containrespective taste components and wherein the bite sensation component isconfigured to control delivery of the smell component of the flavor fromthe containers to the nose of the user through the cannula and tocontrol delivery of both the taste component and the smell componentfrom the containers to the mouth of the user.
 6. The system of claim 5further comprising an atomizer in the bite sensation component which isconfigured to deliver the taste component to the mouth of the user. 7.The system of claim 5 the bite sensation component is configured todeliver the smell component and the taste component to the nose andmouth of the user, and wherein the bite sensation component and thesmell containers and taste containers comprise a single disposable unit.8. The system of claim 7 further comprising an atomizer configured inthe bite sensation component to deliver the taste components to themouth of the user.
 9. The system of claim 5 wherein the bite sensationcomponent comprises a lower jaw and an upper jaw, pivotally mounted withrespect to one another about a hinge, and wherein a force required toturn one jaw with respect to the other is adjustable.
 10. The system ofclaim 9 including one or more atomizers in one or both jaws which areconfigured to direct taste and smell into the mouth of the user.
 11. Asystem to deliver, to a nose and a mouth of a user, artificial flavorsensations equivalent to a selected desired real flavor, wherein thesystem comprises: a database configured to store data comprising anumber of real flavors components comprising one or more of: a tastecomponent, a smell component, a feel component, and an appearancecomponent; containers configured to contain taste components comprising:sweetness, sourness, saltiness, bitterness, umami, astringency,capsaicin; a delivery means controlled from the database to provide tothe user from the containers to a taste sensation corresponding to theselected real flavor; the delivery means comprising: a bite sensationcomponent configured to be mounted in the mouth of the user andconfigured to control the delivery of a taste component and a smellcomponent of the flavor to the user; and wherein; the taste componentsis delivered to the user through the bite sensation component; the feelcomponent derived from the database is delivered to the user through thebite sensation component.
 12. The system of claim 11 further comprisingan atomizer in the bite sensation component configured to deliver thetaste component to the mouth of the user.
 13. The system of claim 12including containers configured to contain smell components of theflavor, the smell components from the containers being delivered to thenose and mouth of the user.
 14. A system to deliver to a nose and amouth of a user artificial flavor sensations equivalent to a selecteddesired real flavor, wherein the system comprises: a database configuredto store data comprising a number of real flavors broken down intocomponents selected from taste, smell, feel and appearance; an audio andvisual delivery system configured to deliver visual and audio cues of aflavor from the database; containers configured to contain smell andtaste components; a nose device configured to deliver smell to the nose;a bite sensation component configured to be mounted in the mouth andcomprising a lower jaw and an upper jaw, pivotally mounted with respectto one another about a hinge, and wherein a force required to turn onejaw with respect to the other jaw is adjustable; the bite sensationcomponent being configured to control the delivery of smell componentsof the flavor from the containers to the nose of the user through thecannula and to control the delivery of both taste and smell componentsfrom the containers to the mouth of the user.